Search - Tracey Thorn :: Out of the Woods

Brilliant.

G.Villan | travelling around the world | 03/20/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Tracey Thorn is a name that's virtually synonymous with quality. Her distinct voice has provided memorable focal points for Everything But The Girl and Massive Attack (not to mention others), before she disappeared from the scene for five years to raise a family.



She now returns with her first solo material in almost 25 years (since "A Distant Shore)" with the excellent "Out Of The Woods". Her prime collaborator is Ewan Pearson, whose peerless track record in contemporary clubland has led from early work for leading techno label, Soma, to his current status of remixer-du-jour for the likes of Goldfrapp and the Pet Shop Boys from his home base in Berlin.



The result is an album that stretches Thorn's vocals to exemplary effect, from the quiet, sensitive reflection of her Massive Attack era, to the more clubland-focused Everything But The Girl style.



I was a little bit worried when I heard lead single "It's All True", a song that tries to capture moments of late '70s disco and dance floor pop but which doesn't work as seamlessly as it sounds. Thorn's vocals remain enchanting but the disco, techno-tinged beats sound dated and cheesy, adding fuel to the suspicion that the whole retro vibe is starting to sound stale.



Had the rest of the album followed the same formula, it could have been a massive disappointment. Fortunately, it doesn't and "It's All True" is a rare misfire.



Opening track "Here It Comes Again" is a reflective intro built around subtle chimes and organs, and a whispered set of vocals that feel like they might fracture if you get too close. It's an enchanting introduction and a breathtaking reminder of Thorn's beautifully evocative vocals. The strings, too, work wonders.



"A-Z" is a little more Everything But The Girl-like, dropping a smooth beat and some lush electronics over the top of some foreboding lyrics about "growing up in small town hell" and kids still bullying each other. It contains some '80s overtones during some of the synth stabs but it works really well.



There's a snappy, disco vibe surrounding "Get Around To It" that works much better than "It's All True", before "Hands Up To The Ceiling "strips things down to more chilled out levels.



The tinkling pianos are lovely, the sultry vocals utterly intoxicating and the gentle background acoustic guitar licks pitched just perfectly. It's a firm highlight.



Similarly enchanting is the heartbreaking "By Piccadilly Station I Sat Down And Wept", a tender weepie that's achingly beautiful. Thorn's vocals hint at the timeless quality of Karen Carpenter, while the orchestration is exquisite, working well with her vocals without ever intruding.



"Easy" is another terrific offering, beginning with a cinematic keyboard that's extremely evocative and which gives rise to an atmospheric effort that recalls more of Massive Attack's sensibilities.



And "Falling Off A Log" is another confidently delivered mid-tempo recording that's full of reflective lyrics and moody beats and instrumentation.



Come the album closer, "Raise The Roof", which hints at both Queen's "Radio Ga-Ga" and the general style of The Eurythmics you'll be singing Thorn's praises once again and hoping that it won't take another five years before she lays down any more recordings.



"Out Of The Woods", in short, is a brilliant comeback from an artist who seldom fails to impress"

HUMANIZING ELECTRONICA

Alan Dorfman | DELRAY BEACH, FL United States | 03/20/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"For her first solo CD since 1982's "A Distant Shore," Everything But The Girl frontwoman and the guest vocalist on scores of dance tunes Tracey Thorn has come up with a collection that is firmly rooted in her past but seldom repetitive of it.



Tracey serves notice on the opener "Here It Comes Again" that, in fact, the same old thing you might have expected from her is not coming again at all. This song is very simple and lovely, delicately sung with a beautiful string arrangement. She follows with "A-Z," a thematic modern day version of the Beatles' "She's Leaving Home" about escaping from "small town hell" sung with the same sort of lovely resignation the Fab Four brought to their tune. This song is also the first example on the CD of how electronica can be crafted into a very humanistic sound. This humanizing continues with the more forceful "It's All True" and the sexual come on of "Get Around To It" in which electronica meets the New Romantic poppiness of Haircut 100 which brings it heart and joy.



The rest of the CD pretty much follows the same formula with the warm vocals and wise lyrics providing a unifying threads such as the low key "Falling Off A Log" in which the singer realizes they've been in love with the wrong one and the counter-intuitive "Raise The Roof" with its "Why did I wait/don't tell me it's too late) refrain.



If you only want the Everything But The Girl Tracey Thorn skip right to "Grand Canyon" which talks about "the hole inside your heart no one can ever fill."



In my opinion, Tracey Thorn is the anti-Annie Lennox (who I love) in that whenever given the option to go over the top with her vocal performance she chooses to be underwrought, delicate, wistful and just plain lovely - all hallmarks of quality singing we don't find often in these post-Celine Dion days.



If you've been anxiously awaiting this CD for 25 years you've been richly rewarded. Except for one or two trifles it was worth the wait."

Below my expectations but pleasant

A. Zollman | San Francisco | 03/30/2007

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Being a longtime fan of EBTG, and enjoying Tracey's work with Massive Attack, I expected stronger melodies and less commercialization. But I always love to listen to her voice, and I like most of the instrumentation, and the combination of retro disco & electronica is interesting."